Do Over Day
Feb. 14th, 2007 01:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lydamorehouseHappy Valentine’s Day, btw. Too bad mine is sucking the big one so far – although it’s early. I have hope that it will turn around.
I’m not usually one to put a lot of stock in Hallmark holidays (or discredited Saint’s days – take your pick), but I’ve always kind of liked Valentine’s Day because I’m a big-hearted romantic who loves to shower gifts on those I love at the slightest provocation. Shawn will be receiving the traditional bouquet this year (which I ordered months ago) as well as a gift certificate to a scrap booking store at the MoA.
But Mason woke up whiney. He’s been crying at the slightest hint of a “no,” which is just plain annoying. Worse, having watched “Super Nanny” the other night, I feel compelled to be extra firm and try to act as if all this whining and crying doesn’t bother me, which makes it frustrate me more. Never watch “Super Nanny” as a parent. While the advice is good – be consistent, set rules, and for God’s sake spend some time with your kids -- you can’t help but start to wonder what Super Nanny would say if she showed up in her big black London taxi at your house. First, she’d be appalled at the squalor. Then, she might notice we’re lesbians. Then… aye, there’s the stuff we don’t want anyone to know – like how little patience I REALLY have when Mason is clingy and needy or… who knows what sins I commit? I am often far more grouchy with him than I wish I were – in fact, we’ve made a joke about it, how sometimes I turn into the “grouchy monster” who roars, which is then followed my me roaring and chasing him around the house until he giggles. (It’s actually a good mood breaker for both of us).
In other child-related news, Mason, Shawn and I visited the open house at Farnsworth last night. What an awesome school! The school building itself is old, but well loved. Shawn and I both had the experience of “coming home,” as the place felt a lot like elementary schools did in the 70s. This is not a dis. The Pre-K teacher talked to Mason and engaged him in conversation. Plus, who can resist a principle who takes his magnet’s aeronautics focus so seriously as to address his messages from “Mission Control”? We’ve found our second choice.
Hooray.
In fish/cat news, our vet Dr. Holly is experimenting in weight loss on our cats. She went to a conference and saw a presentation about why fat cats keep getting fatter, and she thought of us. (How nice!) Anyway, we’re changing our cat’s diet, which had been 100% dry food, to 100% wet food. We had a long discussion on the phone about the things she wants us to keep track of, besides our cat’s weight – cost, messiness – to see if this sort of diet is really do-able for the average pet owner (and, of course, whether or not it works.) Interestingly, she did a lot of research into the protein content of various commercially available cat foods and recommends, of all products, “Fancy Feast.” The idea, I guess, is that cats are carnivores, yet most dry foods contain a lot of carbohydrates. High protein diets supposedly help them lose weight because it’s more like, well, if they ate mice all the time.
We’ll see.
And since I was at PetSmart… I walked out with two glass/ghost shrimp and an orange dwarf gourami, which I totally should not have bought. Given that “Dip” is chasing Orange around the tank right now and nipping her/his tail, I suspect Dip is feeling a bit territorial. Plus, Dip still has white spots on his fins, so the tank is still sick. I guess I’m hoping that Dip will get a new lease on life chasing this pretty orange thang around the tank. I’m normally a responsible pet owner, but I’m apparently stupid when it comes to fish.
I’m not usually one to put a lot of stock in Hallmark holidays (or discredited Saint’s days – take your pick), but I’ve always kind of liked Valentine’s Day because I’m a big-hearted romantic who loves to shower gifts on those I love at the slightest provocation. Shawn will be receiving the traditional bouquet this year (which I ordered months ago) as well as a gift certificate to a scrap booking store at the MoA.
But Mason woke up whiney. He’s been crying at the slightest hint of a “no,” which is just plain annoying. Worse, having watched “Super Nanny” the other night, I feel compelled to be extra firm and try to act as if all this whining and crying doesn’t bother me, which makes it frustrate me more. Never watch “Super Nanny” as a parent. While the advice is good – be consistent, set rules, and for God’s sake spend some time with your kids -- you can’t help but start to wonder what Super Nanny would say if she showed up in her big black London taxi at your house. First, she’d be appalled at the squalor. Then, she might notice we’re lesbians. Then… aye, there’s the stuff we don’t want anyone to know – like how little patience I REALLY have when Mason is clingy and needy or… who knows what sins I commit? I am often far more grouchy with him than I wish I were – in fact, we’ve made a joke about it, how sometimes I turn into the “grouchy monster” who roars, which is then followed my me roaring and chasing him around the house until he giggles. (It’s actually a good mood breaker for both of us).
In other child-related news, Mason, Shawn and I visited the open house at Farnsworth last night. What an awesome school! The school building itself is old, but well loved. Shawn and I both had the experience of “coming home,” as the place felt a lot like elementary schools did in the 70s. This is not a dis. The Pre-K teacher talked to Mason and engaged him in conversation. Plus, who can resist a principle who takes his magnet’s aeronautics focus so seriously as to address his messages from “Mission Control”? We’ve found our second choice.
Hooray.
In fish/cat news, our vet Dr. Holly is experimenting in weight loss on our cats. She went to a conference and saw a presentation about why fat cats keep getting fatter, and she thought of us. (How nice!) Anyway, we’re changing our cat’s diet, which had been 100% dry food, to 100% wet food. We had a long discussion on the phone about the things she wants us to keep track of, besides our cat’s weight – cost, messiness – to see if this sort of diet is really do-able for the average pet owner (and, of course, whether or not it works.) Interestingly, she did a lot of research into the protein content of various commercially available cat foods and recommends, of all products, “Fancy Feast.” The idea, I guess, is that cats are carnivores, yet most dry foods contain a lot of carbohydrates. High protein diets supposedly help them lose weight because it’s more like, well, if they ate mice all the time.
We’ll see.
And since I was at PetSmart… I walked out with two glass/ghost shrimp and an orange dwarf gourami, which I totally should not have bought. Given that “Dip” is chasing Orange around the tank right now and nipping her/his tail, I suspect Dip is feeling a bit territorial. Plus, Dip still has white spots on his fins, so the tank is still sick. I guess I’m hoping that Dip will get a new lease on life chasing this pretty orange thang around the tank. I’m normally a responsible pet owner, but I’m apparently stupid when it comes to fish.